Department of Justice

St. Petersburg Man Sentenced on Firearms Charges

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Charlene E. Honeywell has sentenced Raymond Adams (29, St. Petersburg) to eight years and five months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. He pleaded guilty on May 31, 2017.

According to court documents, Adams and others planned to break into a St. Petersburg home to steal marijuana and later distribute it. Adams was armed with a 9-mm handgun during the attempted burglary and, when detected by law enforcement officers, he left with his associates in a vehicle that later crashed. Adams then fled on foot and discarded the gun. Officers from the St. Petersburg Police Department apprehended him and recovered the gun.

At the time of the incident, Adams was a felon whose prior criminal history included a 2010 manslaughter conviction. As such, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the St. Petersburg Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James C. Preston, Jr.

This is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow, along with Daryl R. McCrary, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. This case was also prosecuted as part of the St. Petersburg Violent Crime Reduction Initiative.